


Time and time again

by Graymuse42



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cisco Ramon-centric, Crack Treated Seriously, Groundhog Day, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Season/Series 06, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Time Travel, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:00:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29675298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graymuse42/pseuds/Graymuse42
Summary: He woke up. Which in and of itself was a surprise. He sat up in bed, glancing around his apartment, trying to figure out what had happened. Had Barry saved them all in the last moment? Had it all been a vibe of the future?Then he actually took time to look around. Instead of the queen sized bed he’d upgraded to when he moved to his current apartment, he was on his old twin from when he’d started at Star Labs, complete with Star Wars themed bedsheets.What was going on here?AKA, Cisco from season 6 gets trapped inside his body from season 1, and has to relive all of it.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon/Leonard Snart
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THIS HAS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE CRISIS EPISODES!!! 
> 
> Okay, now that that's out of the way, this is my take on what might have happened instead, because that episode tore me apart, and my brain went 'sure, but what about a slow burn?' 
> 
> Did I watch 3 episodes of the Flash just for this? Yes. Is the first chapter heavy on the narration? Also yes, I'm sorry, but I've been working on the other chapters and it gets better, I promise!

The blaring alarms of the Waverider caught Cisco’s attention, the sounds of that world’s Snart/Gideon ringing through the air, warning of the anti-matter wave.

They’d failed.

Seconds left, Cisco wondered what it’d be like to die again.

The ship disintegrated around him, and he had just enough time to suck in a breath before-

He woke up. Which in and of itself was a surprise. He sat up in bed, glancing around his apartment, trying to figure out what had happened. Had Barry saved them all in the last moment? Had it all been a vibe of the future?

Then he actually took time to look around. Instead of the queen sized bed he’d upgraded to when he moved to his current apartment, he was on his old twin from when he’d started at Star Labs, complete with Star Wars themed bedsheets.

What was going on here?

Throwing back the covers he slipped out of bed, standing up and reaching his hands out in front of him. So not a vibe then.

Oh god, what if this was the afterlife?! Was this all his life had amounted to??

His phone buzzed and he reached for it on instinct, before pausing. Why was the afterlife a complete reconstruction of his life 6 years ago??

He looked around, trying to find a discrepancy. A flaw. Something, _anything_ to give him some hint as to what had happened. There was nothing. He was just… here. Standing in his old apartment, with no clue how he’d gotten there.

He checked the phone when it buzzed again and nearly dropped it. It wasn’t the text from Caitlin asking him to pick up coffee on the way in that day. It was the date.

October 7th, 2014.

The day Barry woke up.

This couldn’t be. Was he really about to believe he’d woken up 5 years in the past??? Barry had time travelled before, but he always mentioned there being two versions of himself when it happened! So where was the other version of himself?

He glanced back at his bed, as if he’d find his past self still asleep in bed.

“This is so trippy….”

Well if this was the past, he needed to get his ass to work before Caitlin noticed anything weird. Or Dr Wells-

Fuck. If he was in the past, then Dr. Wells was still there. And he was Thawne. Evil Wells. Dark, murderous Wells who’d murdered him. Or, would?

Oh god was he going to have to live (or not live) through that again?!

No, there was no way he’d be stuck here that long. And even if he was, maybe he wasn’t the only one. Maybe that wave just stuck everyone back in their bodies 5 years before?

Yeah right. No way was he that lucky.

He grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on as he headed out, trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

Caitlin was waiting for him in the cortex, (was it even called that yet? He couldn’t remember when he’d named it) and Barry was still there, in his coma.

“There you are! I was starting to get worried!” Did Caitlin remember? “I can’t run these tests on my own.”

Oh. No, Caitlin didn’t remember. “Sorry, long line at Jitters.”

He synced his phone with the Bluetooth, trying to remember what he’d been playing when Barry’d woken up.

Poker Face. Right. Classic.

If he was a little excessive with his reaction to Barry waking up, nobody would notice.

It took him an extra second to remember to call Dr. Wells down to the cortex, but a few seconds shouldn’t impact the timeline too badly. The butterfly effect wasn’t _that_ specific, if Barry’s time traveling had proven anything.

Of course! Barry time travelled all the time! Maybe if he was lucky, this would be a time where he also remembered?

 _Barry, come on dude, remember,_ “Where am I? What’s going on?” Oh well. He had never been terribly lucky.

He went through the introductions, trying to smile even though he was freaking out. It was all going great until-

“9 months. Welcome back Mr. Allen.”

That damned wheelchair. It had been so long since he last saw it that he’d almost forgotten how sick it had made him when Barry had to use it. The residual fear and betrayal didn’t hurt any less now than it had all those years ago. Dr. Wells, Thawne, evil Wells, sat grinning, as if his entire life had led up to this moment.

To him it probably had.

As Dr. Wells showed Barry around, Cisco helped Caitlin clean up the cortex and run tests. He already knew what they’d say, but he couldn’t exactly rush this. He had to make sure he kept the timeline in place, which meant no rushing ahead. He just had to keep everything going as he figured out what the hell happened to him, and how to undo it. Easy. Right?

“Hey, are you alright?”

Cisco looked up from what he was working on to see Caitlin staring at him, concerned. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You just seem… off, today.”

Cisco shrugged. “I mean, it’s not every day someone wakes up from a coma, especially not-” he cut himself off. They weren’t supposed to know about his powers yet.

“Especially not?” Caitlin was even more confused now. 

Dammit, think of something, think of something, “Especially not since the particle accelerator. You know? It feels like the first win in a really long time.”

Caitlin nodded, and got back to work. Cisco internally let out a breath he’d been holding. That was close. He needed to adjust his mindset, and quickly. He couldn’t let anything slip and risk the timeline.

Barry and Dr. Wells came back from their talk in the hallway, and Cisco vaguely wondered how much of it had been Thawne lying, but then Barry was leaving, and Caitlin and Dr. Wells were sharing exasperated looks, and Cisco knew he wouldn’t be needed again until tomorrow when Barry first discovered his speed, so he had some time.

Excusing himself from Caitlin and evil Wells, he made his way to his workshop, and pulled out one of the many notebooks he left lying about for his ideas.

He needed a plan.

When Barry was back to them the next day, Cisco was ready with a plan. He already knew what had to be done to keep the timeline going, and had done his best to write down every interaction he remembered from the last 5 years, and was ready to relive it. He hoped.

And, when he wasn’t needed, he’d be working on finding a way to fix the anti-matter wave. The fact that he hadn’t met the version of him that was supposed to be here had to mean that he was supposed to take over, and live through it all instead.

A giant groundhogs day loop.

And, he couldn’t talk to anyone about it. Because he couldn’t risk messing up the timeline. He had to make sure everyone did exactly the right thing, and if he was the only changed variable, then he needed to make sure he reacted properly to everything.

At least he didn’t have to fake anything in believing Barry. He always had, and he always would. Yes Barry could run that fast. Yes he made the toys and gadgets, and yes, he believed in the impossible. He was living it right then and there.

Years of working alongside Barry told him to shift his weight before Barry started running, so he didn’t fall on his ass.

Thawne’s eyes narrowed slightly, but other than that he didn’t comment.

The gust of wind, the faint traces of electricity, all of it made him smile. This was where it all began. Baby Barry. Baby lightning. Baby team Flash.

Barry’s broken arm took a full 3 hours to heal. Baby speed healing too. But of course, Cisco couldn’t say any of that. He pulled out a red bull, chugging it in one go. Tonight was the night Barry took on Weather Wizard the first, and Cisco would need all the caffeine he could get.

Dr. Wells tilted his head in Cisco’s direction, but ignored him in favor of questioning Barry.

Cisco decided to focus on Dr. Wells. Watching his face as Barry told them about his mom’s murder. It was interesting to watch a man ‘hear’ about something he was to blame for.

Then Barry was off again, and Cisco knew he had until later that evening to finish working on the suit. Barry was gonna need it.

Cisco payed attention to Dr. Wells’s explanation to Barry of what had gone wrong. He’d thought he understood what was happening last time, but with 5 more years of experience maybe he could try to piece together what was going on with him. How he’d ended up in a groundhog’s day loop.

Of course, he could just ask Thawne outright, but even if he phrased it as a hypothetical it was risky. Better safe than dead.

When Barry commented about metahumans Cisco half chuckled. “This just keeps getting cooler,” he commented, half sarcastically. When Barry snapped back at him for it he just nodded.

When Wells and Barry got into their argument, Cisco found himself glancing over to Dr. Wells, wondering exactly what he was up to. Thawne wanted Barry to become the Flash. Why was he telling Barry he couldn’t be?

Then it hit him. Barry was stubborn. Someone telling him he couldn’t do something was almost the best way to get him to do it.

When Barry stormed out, Cisco grabbed another red bull. His night was just beginning.

A few hours (and one conversation with the Arrow if Cisco remembered properly) and Barry was back, with boxes from the CCPD that Cisco doubted were obtained legally.

Revealing the suit was as exhilarating as any time he’d done it. No matter how many changes or upgrades he did, he always loved the feeling of revealing his hard work.

The entire fight with Mardon, Cisco knew he should have been anxious, but it just felt like another day to him. He’d done this too many times.

Only, this body hadn’t done it at all. This was supposed to be their first mission, he was supposed to be terrified for Barry.

Well, he had the fear part down. It just wasn’t Barry he was scared for. He glanced nervously at Thawne, sitting next to them. How could he be so calm? He didn’t know what was coming. Then again, wasn’t that normal? Not knowing? Wasn’t that life? He was the abnormality here.

He’d missed the simplicity of being behind the monitors with Barry running. There was something so simple to it. The way he and Barry would sneak in saving people behind Caitlin’s back, and she’d get mad, yelling at them both because she didn’t know how else to show she cared.

“Who do you think you are?!” She’d yelled at them.

“Uh, clearly I’m the eyes and ears, and he’s the feet.”

“Don’t expect me to patch you up every time you break something,” she’d bit out at Barry.

Cisco had to suppress a snort at that one, taking over to talk to Barry about his ‘spike in vitals’. He was already working through formulas for a better calorie bar, but he had to be sure he talked to Barry about it, because it’s what past him did, so it’s what he had to do now.

Barry ran off towards his day job, and Cisco remembered that he had to adjust his calculations to take into account Barry’s beginning caloric intake, and not his ‘6 years of this’ caloric intake. He excused himself to his workshop to start working on that new equation, ignoring the look Wells gave him.

He wouldn’t be needed until closer to that evening anyway.

When Barry came to them because he was passing out, Cisco was ready. Caitlin still went off on him though, and Cisco had to hold back a chuckle, throwing in a word of explanation every time Barry looked to him confused.

Wells was openly staring at Cisco now, and he excused himself to set up the treadmill.

He’d forgotten how angry Joe could get when he was being protective. Cisco remembered he’d be seeing a lot more of that in his near future, until Joe fully came to accept what had changed.

“Don’t worry about Joe, I’ll talk to him.” Wells wheeled off in the direction of the hallway.

Cisco nodded, confused. Had he said that the first time?

Barry won the day again, and it was all good. Cisco really had missed these days. Back when there were no complications, just winning the day and moving on. Sure, Danton Black was dead, which sucked, but they never would have been able to save him. Danton simply hadn’t wanted to be saved, no matter how hard they tried. Nothing more could be done.

Cisco still couldn’t figure out police scanner codes. 6 years and he still hadn’t managed to convince Barry to get him a copy of the codes.

It wasn’t all fun and games. The judge that had died by Kyle Nimbus’s hands. He hated that he couldn’t save her. But the timeline was most important, no matter what. If he didn’t follow it, there was no telling what would happen.

He didn’t know when he’d gotten so ‘lawful’ in his approach, but he didn’t like it.

He also hated that he had to construct the damn pipeline cells again. There was a reason they’d gotten Iron Heights equipped for a meta wing. These personal prison cells were completely inhumane. But he had to stick to the stupid timeline, he kept reminding himself. The timeline was what mattered.

Knowing Barry wouldn’t die didn’t make it any easier to hear him get beaten up either. No matter how many times it happened, how certain of victory they were, it was never easy to hear his best friend get beaten to a pummel.

But when he watched Barry put away the Mist, he still felt that same pride. “Yeah yeah yeah, ‘no prison can hold me,’ heard it all before pal!”

The others stared at him, and he realized that this probably _wasn’t_ when he’d said that in the first timeline. “…In movies and such,” he explained weakly, before excusing himself from the group and retreating back to his workstation.

He knew what came up next. Captain Cold. Arguably one of the most controversial supervillains Barry fought in his first few years. And largely Cisco’s fault. He couldn’t just _not_ create him. Not only would that completely ruin the timeline, but it would stop Captain Cold and Heatwave from becoming Legends. And as horrible as their events in the first year were, they had saved countless lives since then.

He had to still build the guns.

If he put a little more attention into the details than he had last time, well… He was just enjoying his craft. Being a little paranoid, that’s all. No reason to suspect anything unusual with him placing a tracker in the Cold Gun. That wasn’t unusual at all.

And if he gently placed his hands on the guns before he left them in storage, knowing it would be the last time he saw them before they’d be in the hands of dangerous criminals, well. No one was there to judge him.

The thing was, he knew. He knew what time the janitor should be there, and approximately what time he’d steal Cisco’s cold gun. You know, if it had actually been him. He just didn’t know where the guy went from there.

Was he bored? Alright, fine, he was bored, he’d been living a repeat of his own life for over a month, he was insanely bored! So he wanted to know if the janitor had actually been the one to steal the gun. Did it matter? As long as he wasn’t caught, it didn’t matter if he was at Star Labs 3 hours early that day.

Only apparently it did matter, and Cisco would later smack himself for getting so cocky. But as it was, something else smacked him when he showed up to Star Labs early. Something hard, and painful, that knocked him out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now: Cisco deals with messing up the timeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got to change what day I try to update on. I watch the new episodes on Wednesdays. I'm not emotionally capable of writing on Wednesdays anymore. So lets try Thursdays!

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. And now the timeline was gonna be fucked, all because of his damn curiosity. Did it really matter who had stolen his gun? They’d already had theories. But no, he’d decided that because he got a chance to do things over, he was going to figure out definitively. And where did that get him? Tied up in the back of a stolen Star Labs van, as the janitor/illegal smuggler/fence/he wasn’t a criminal he wouldn’t know what they were called, was selling his cold gun to Snart.

Hell, he’d already installed a tracker into the gun just for this reason! To make it that much easier to track!

But no, that wasn’t the point was it now? The point was he’d gone off script, and now he might die or get sold onto the black market and Barry DEFINITELY wasn’t to the point with his powers where he could save him and hell, Barry probably didn’t consider him that much of a friend yet! They just worked together!

Cisco shifted his arms, trying to figure out if he could aim his palms back and somehow blast his way out. Maybe he’d just be another random, never explained mystery for Central City. That happened all the time, didn’t it?

Before he could enact his 1 step plan, the telltale whirring of the cold gun made him freeze in place. That was an option he’d never considered. That they’d never found the guy because Cold had killed him first.

His chances of survival were quickly evaporating.

He struggled against the ropes, twisting painfully until he could aim one hand away from himself and towards the side of the van, only to come to a startling realization: his powers weren’t there.

Shit.

His powers weren’t working, and come to think of it, he hadn’t had a single vibe since he woke up in this timeline, and footsteps were coming closer, and this was very, _very_ bad.

Snart hauled the door of the van open and froze. “Clearly he was lying about who knew. Good thing I thought to check it out.”

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck the timeline was screwed. The timeline was completely screwed and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Fuck the timeline, _he_ was dead if he didn’t find a way out. And he couldn’t talk his way out either because of the gag in his mouth.

That wasn’t going to stop him from trying.

“Mmmph mmnth mmph mmmmmph-”

The cold gun being aimed at his head shut him up.

This couldn’t be happening. He hadn’t lived through six years of this insanity just to be killed by Snart in a reboot of the timeline.

If only his powers were working!

Snart knelt down in front of him, gun still aimed at his head. “So who exactly are you?”

Cisco glanced between him and the gun. What exactly did Snart want him to say? He was gagged!

Reaching out with his free hand, Snart tugged the gag out of his mouth. “I’m expecting clear, concise answers. I’m still deciding if killing you would be the easier path.”

Cisco nodded, uncertain if he was being asked a question. He startled backwards as Snart prodded him with the cold gun. “I’m not a fan of repeating myself: Who are you?”

“My name’s Cisco Ramon!” He blurted out, trying to calm his racing pulse.

“Alright, that’s a name, what are you doing tied up in the back of my fence’s truck?”

Well shit. Lie? Or tell the closest to the truth he could get without sounding insane? Snart could read him. Had tortured his brother because he knew Cisco was lying. Best to go with the truth. “I found him stealing the gun, so he tied me up. If you let me go I swear I won’t tell anyone!”

Yeah, he wouldn’t need to. Snart would just go ahead with his plan and then Barry would find out the same way he had last time.

“So you’re from Star Labs, are you? One of the people who made this gun?”

Cisco gulped. “The only one that made it. It was a side project of mine.”

“Only one? Does that mean they wouldn’t know it was missing without you?”

Danger danger danger! “If I don’t make it back they’ll go looking. They’ll look into my projects, and they’ll find out about it. If I go back I don’t have to report it missing.”

Snart tilted his head. “True enough. But then, if I just let you go, not only could you tell them it was missing, but you could tell them who has it too. And that’s heat I don’t need.”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell them who has it though. I don’t know who you are.”

Snart’s eyes narrowed. Fuck. He’s bad at lying. “…How exactly do you know that?”

Cisco tried to push himself as close to the back of the van as he could, but Snart grabbed his leg, pulling him back towards him till they were face to face.

Snart aimed the gun at Cisco’s side, and he knew he wouldn’t survive if that went off.

“I’m a meta!” He blurted out. “I’m a meta, like the Flash, and, I’ve got plenty of my own secrets, I really don’t mind keeping another if it means I get to live.”

Snart paused, then grinned. “Well. Congratulations Cisco Ramon. You’ve just proven you’re too valuable to kill. Yet.”

Really, he should have seen the blow coming.

Waking up tied to a table with the cold gun aimed at him was on his list of experiences he never wanted to live through again.

If he had a nickel for every time, he’d have two nickels. At least he was in a warehouse, instead of the house of a dead crime family.

“So. Cisco. You say you’re a meta like the Flash. What does that mean?”

Oh, right. Early Snart, before he’d done his research. “You remember the particle accelerator explosion?”

“Hard to forget something that tore apart the city.”

“Yeah… well, it released a lot of not-so theoretical particles into the city, impacting people different ways. People who were changed by it are called metahumans. Or metas, for short. The red blur that’s been saving people recently, he calls himself the Flash, he’s a meta.”

“Calls himself the Flash, eh? And you’ve met him?”

Damnit, early Cold. How was Cisco supposed to be honest, and not tell Cold too much? “He’s saved my life before. Anyway, I thought your questions were about me, or the gun I built. What’s with your obsession with the Flash?”

“I asked one question about him.”

Damnit. “And none about the gun, or anything else I’d be able to give you information on. Zero to one, strange odds.”

“What’s wrong, feeling left out? Maybe if you interrupted one of my heists I’d pay more attention to you.”

“Isn’t that what I just did on accident? Or does killing your fence and stealing what he stole not count as a heist?”

Cold chuckled. “Cheeky. But I don’t think finding you tied up in the back of a truck sound like you interrupting _me._ More that I interrupted whatever plans he had for you.” Yup, that was uncomfortable information. He hadn’t really given himself much of a chance to think about what the evil fence dude wanted with him. Why he had woken up, and not been killed outright. “Back to the question at hand.” Thank god for the distraction from _that_ train of thought. “Metas are people who have been changed. The Flash. He got speed that night. So what did you get?”

Well, here goes nothing. “I get visions sometimes. Not consistently,” true enough, “and they don’t always happen,” if they managed to stop it _from_ happening, “but when they come true they’re completely accurate. I can see other timelines, and things that might have happened.” And he was going to stop talking, before he accidentally said too much.

“Visions. I’m assuming that’s how you know my name. Is that also how you ended up in that truck?”

“Yeah well _that_ part of this timeline is different.”

Snart chuckled. “Well, your mistakes are what led you to me, so I’m sure it was for the best.” That _wasn’t_ comforting. “How many other powers are there?”

“We’re not sure on the full range. A lot, that’s for sure.”

“Such as?”

“Well, so far there have been people with the ability to control the weather, make duplicates of themselves, turn into poisonous gas,”

“What kind of powers can people have?”

“Hypothetically? Anything within the range of imagination. Black holes, light manipulation, flower growth, empathy, telekinetic abilities,” _Stop talking_ you idiot!!

For his part, Snart stayed calm. Cisco was still trying to figure out where they even were, but apart from ‘random warehouse’ he didn’t have much to work with. “You know, you’re taking this whole ‘people in this city have powers’ thing pretty well.”

Snart shrugged. “If you can’t adapt, you’re not playing the game right.”

Well, that was something. “So… um, what exactly is your plan with me?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

No. “Yes.”

“You said the Flash saved you before. I’m sure he’ll do it again.”

Well. Fuck.

Being dragged into the museum with Cold in broad daylight was _not_ doing the timeline any favors. Hands tied behind his back, gag back in his mouth, Cisco somehow felt more like a hostage than just standard ‘bait’.

He suspected he was technically both.

Being this close to the cold gun again, especially as it was fired, he remembered exactly which safety features he _hadn’t_ remembered to put back on it. And made a mental checklist for when Cold would eventually kidnap him again to rebuild the guns.

While Cold had his parka on, Cisco was left without any such coat, just in his fall jacket, which did nothing to negate the overwhelming cold flowing off the gun. He shivered, but was relieved when Barry’s lightning signaled his arrival. Cold kept him at bay, clearly testing the full range of the gun while testing Barry’s abilities, despite the fact that Cisco could have told him all of it. At least this part of the timeline was the same. But there had to be a difference somewhere.

Of course there was. Cisco was here. He could _do_ something!

As Cold turned towards the guard in the isle, Cisco saw his chance.

He knew what would happen. He remembered when the guard had been killed. The way it had almost broken Barry. He couldn’t let that happen again. He was here, he had to stop it. Steeling his nerves, he jerked out of Cold’s grip, slamming into the end of the cold gun. He screamed into the gag as the ice encased his shoulder, but at least the beam was off course, spinning off into the theater and avoiding the guard. Cold stepped back in shock, and before he could recover Barry was at Cisco’s side, and they were off.

He didn’t lose consciousness. He wished he would, it would have made the frost easier to deal with. The pain. The humiliation.

Caitlin was talking to him, and the gag was out of his mouth, hands unbound. He couldn’t focus though, pain dizzying him and he tried to lay down, but Caitlin held him still.

“—sco. Ci—o. Cisco! Can you hear me??” Lights in his eyes.

“Sort of,” he got out through gritted teeth. “It hurts,” Caitlin was quickly applying something to his skin that burned, and he gasped.

“It’s not actually as hot as it seems, your nerves are just badly damaged. It’ll get better, I promise. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse and it just glanced your shoulder.”

Cisco glanced down at his shoulder, where purple discoloration was spreading across it. She was right. This was what that weapon could do to a regular human who bumped the barrel as it was being fired. The safety measures needed adjusted.

Caitlin was in front of him again, trying to get his attention. “Do you want any painkillers? You don’t have speed heeling, so you can still use them.” Oh right. That would be nice. He nodded, and Caitlin prepared the IV for him.

Once it was in he tried to lean down again, almost crying out in pain. Caitlin gently helped him to lie down on his uninjured shoulder, and a moment later Barry was in the room again, shaking his head. “Snart got away. I’m so sorry Cisco. I’m sorry I couldn’t get there in time.”

Cisco tried to say something, but the painkillers were kicking in, and he found himself drifting off again, barely managing to hold back the flinch as Dr. Wells gently patted his uninjured arm.

Going into the field with an injured shoulder hurt, in more ways than one. But just because he was injured didn’t mean he couldn’t hold the vacuum.

Sure, he was holding it with his non-dominant hand, and when Cold turned to face him, there was genuine shock on his face. But he could protect his friend.

Same old song and dance. He could do this.

“This is a prototype cold gun. 4 times the size, 4 times as powerful.” Was that what he’d said? Too late now.

Cold chuckled. “Your hands are shaking.”

“Yeah, because someone _shot me_ yesterday!” He wasn’t going to back down on this.

He noticed it now. Cold meeting his eyes through the goggles, and the recognition that Cisco was lying.

He’d known all along.

How?

Cold put up his gun. “You win this time kid.”

Cisco was too confused to understand what had just happened to bother asking Cold to leave the diamond. He knew it wouldn’t work anyway.

Cold had known the whole time that it wasn’t a gun. He’d known in the previous timeline too. What did that say about him?

The rest of the month went peacefully… enough… Sure, there were a couple mishaps here and there, but no time wraiths had shown up to mess with him, so he was fairly certain he wasn’t messing things up that were _too_ important.

After Woodward fought Barry and gave him the idea of ‘The Flash’, things were decently calm. A few fires, a couple car-jackings, nothing too bad.

Barry had just finished his patrol and was allowing Caitlin to run some more tests. Cisco was trying to remember what had happened next. Was it the fight with the Arrow? Or was there something before that? It was the electricity guy, right? Who had temporarily taken Barry’s speed?

“Mr. Ramon, may I talk to you in the hallway?”

Cisco’s head shot up. “What? Oh, um, sure thing Dr. Wells, just give me a moment.”

He didn’t remember this. He definitely didn’t remember this.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I wanted to talk to you, it’s just, I’ve noticed you’ve seemed rather… off, recently.”

Cisco nervously chuckled as he walked next to the wheelchair. “Off? I’m not sure what you mean. Barry’s doing great, his speed is increasing, we’re stopping the bad guys, it’s all going great!”

“I’m sure, but you see, ever since Snart-” Dr. Wells’ phone buzzed. They were standing right in front of the time vault. “I’m terribly sorry, but Barry needs my help with something. I’ll be a few minutes.”

As he wheeled away, Cisco was at a loss for what to do. Should he follow? Should he stay where he was?

Actually,

If Dr. Wells was going to be a few minutes, maybe he could peer inside the time vault while he waited? There had to be a reason he stopped them right in front of it. That can’t be coincidence.

_If Thawne wants something in the time vault as a part of the conversation, maybe he should look into it first?_

No, no, if Thawne wanted something from the time vault for the conversation, then Cisco should run away and never look back.

Or he could stay put and wait for him to come back?

Yeah right.

Cisco checked his watch. It had been less than 60 seconds. He could check, couldn’t he?

He glanced both ways down the hall, then put his hand up to the hidden pad, watching as the door slid back. He stepped inside, examining the room. Not much was different. Gideon’s podium stood proudly in the middle of the room, the Reverse Flash suit on display to the side.

That damned suit.

Cisco glared at it with as much hatred as he could muster. He was so focused on it, that he didn’t notice the other presence in the room with him.

“Hello Cisco.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes, please let me know! I wrote a lot of this extremely zoned, and I have no beta, so please, tell me if there's any problems, I'll address them!   
> Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for your comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


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